Coming home unexpectedly at midnight from a business trip, seeing my wife’s dress worn inside out and water stains on the bed left me speechless
I am 34 years old, preparing to be a father for the first time. My wife, Maria, is currently 7 months pregnant. Our marriage was peaceful and full of love. But just one night, when I unexpectedly returned earlier than expected, all trust was almost broken – just because of… a pink dress worn inside out.

That day, I was on a business trip to Cebu for three days. The company required me to do an extra report, so my flight back to Manila was delayed. I intended to text my wife, but then I thought: “Let’s save it for a surprise.” I missed her so much, I missed her heavy appearance when she was pregnant, I missed Maria’s labored breathing every time she turned over.

It was almost 1am when I got home. In the small house in Quezon City, the pale yellow nightlight shone from the bedroom. I gently opened the door, intending to step in and hug my wife from behind. And then, I was speechless.

Maria lay on her side, her back to the door. She was wearing her familiar pink maternity dress – but… inside out. The seams were clearly visible, the label was exposed. A terrifying thought flashed through her mind: Why is my wife wearing her dress inside out? Did someone just leave here in a hurry? Is the baby in her belly really mine?

Blood rushed to her face, her heart pounding. I gently shook her shoulder, my voice choked:

– Maria… bakit suot mong baligtad ang damit? (Maria… why are you wearing your dress inside out?)

Maria woke up, her eyes sleepy, surprised:

– Ikaw pala! Akala ko bukas ka pa uuwi. Bakit di ka nagsabi?
(You’re back? I thought you’d be back tomorrow. Why didn’t you tell me?)

She tried to sit up, but her heavy belly made her frown. I repeated the question, this time more sharply.

Maria was stunned, then her eyes reddened. Tears welled up in her eyes:

– Pinagduduhan mo ba ako? (Are you doubting me?)

She choked up and explained:

– Kanina, nagising ako para pumunta sa banyo. Sobrang init, kaya nagpalit ako ng damit. Pero sobrang pagod, di ko namalayang baligtad ang suot ko. Hindi na ako nag-ayos, gusto ko lang humiga agad…
(I got up to go to the bathroom, it was too hot so I changed my dress, but I was so tired that I put it on wrong. I didn’t look in the mirror, I just wanted to lie down quickly…)

Maria’s hand was on her belly, instinctively protecting her child. Seeing my wife like that, my heart ached. I remembered the past 7 months: the nights Maria had cramps, crying in pain; the times she threw up after meals; the times she whispered to me: “Natakot ako manganak…” (I’m so scared of giving birth…).

I bowed my head in apology, hugging her. Maria cried and sobbed:

– Pagod na pagod na ako… katawan ko nagbago, mukha ko puro pimples, tapos ngayon pati asawa ko nagdududa…
(I’m so tired… my body has changed, my face is full of pimples, now even my husband is suspicious…)

I hugged my wife tightly, whispering:

– Sorry… ako ang mali. Takot lang akong mawalan ka.
(I’m sorry. I was wrong. I’m just afraid of losing you.)

A moment of peace returned

That night, we sat together, Maria told me all her worries: forgetfulness, fear of the doctor saying the fetus was too small, fear of her husband hating her. I held her hand, promising never to let that happen again. I understood that, when a woman is pregnant, what she needs most is not just money or medical care, but absolute trust from her husband.

The next morning, I woke up early to cook lugaw manok (chicken porridge) for my wife. When I brought it in, Maria sat on the bed, stroking her belly. Seeing me, she smiled, a tired but warm smile. I placed my hand on her belly, feeling the gentle kick of the baby. My heart rose with a rare sense of peace.

A few days later, Maria washed the pink dress and folded it neatly. I looked at it, seeing it no longer as “evidence” of betrayal, but as a reminder: of the moment I almost lost faith, and luckily kept the greatest love of my life.

Now, every night lying next to Maria, my hand on my pregnant belly, I silently promised: I will never let silly doubts destroy this happiness. Because sometimes, behind a dress worn inside out… is just the fatigue and hardship of a wife, a mother who is sacrificing everything to bring me a complete family

Part 2: Cracks in Trust

When I pressed, “Bakit baligtad ang suot mong damit? May tinatago ka ba?”, Maria just glared at me, her breathing rapid.

She moved her lips, but then bit her lower lip, as if choking on words. Tears welled up in her eyes but did not come out.

I felt even more suspicious, my heart burning:
– “Sagutin mo ako, Maria! May kasama ka ba rito kanina?”

The space of the small room in Quezon City suddenly became stuffy. The ticking of the wall clock was like a knife cutting into my ears.

Maria turned her face away, her shoulders trembling. Her silence made my mind explode with worst-case scenarios.

The next day, we were cold. I left for work early, leaving Maria sitting absent-mindedly in the living room. She placed her hand on her stomach, whispering to herself:

– “Anak… huwag kang matakot. Hindi kita pababayaan…”

Maria was terrified. She remembered what an old friend had said: “In the Philippines, many pregnant women are suspected by their husbands and then abandoned, and have to go back to their hometowns to rely on their families.” The thought made her tremble.

She looked in the mirror, saw her face full of acne, her hair messy, her body heavy. “Am I really that ugly that you doubt me?” Maria whispered, then burst into tears.

The news of our quarrel quickly reached my mother-in-law, Rosa, who lives in Bulacan. She called me, her voice full of reproach:
– “Anak, bakit mo pinagdududahan si Maria sa ganung kalagayan? Alam mo ba gaano kahirap magbuntis?”
(My child, why did you doubt Maria when she was pregnant? Do you know how hard it is to be pregnant?)

I was speechless, but still tried to defend myself:
– “Nanay, hindi ko sinasadya… pero paano kung totoo?”

Rosa snapped:
– “Kung mahal mo talaga siya, hindi mo dapat siya saktan sa ganung paraan. Ang mga salita mo mas masakit pa sa sugat.”

One afternoon, when I came home, Maria was no longer there. On the table was a short note, written in shaky handwriting:

“I need some peace. I’ll go to my mother’s house for a few days. You can doubt me, but please don’t put our child through this stress.”

I sat down on the floor, dumbfounded. The whole room echoed with emptiness.

Maria returned to Bulacan, where Rosa and the bougainvillea-filled yard in front of the house were. But even there, she did not find peace. The neighbors whispered:
– “Bakit siya bumalik? May problema ba sila mag-asawa?”

Each rumor was like a knife wound carved into Maria’s heart.

5. The Night of Confrontation

I couldn’t bear it anymore, so I immediately took a bus to Bulacan. When I found Maria, she was sitting on a bamboo hammock on the porch, holding her pregnant belly, her eyes red.

I knelt down in front of my wife:
– “Maria, sorry. Hindi ko dapat ginawa yun. Nabulag ako ng selos at takot. Pero ang totoo, natatakot akong mawalan ng pamilya.”

Maria burst into tears:
– “Alam mo ba kung gaano kahirap para sa akin? Araw-araw natatakot ako… natatakot na baka iwan mo ako, natatakot na baka hindi ko kayanin manganak. Tapos pati ikaw, nagdududa pa.”

We hugged each other in tears. For the first time, I truly understood that the silence that night was not because of guilt, but because Maria was too tired, too hurt to say anything.

That night, we returned to Manila. I took the initiative to take a few days off to be with my wife. Every morning, I walked with Maria around the park near Quiapo Church, buying taho for her.

I gradually understood that: for a pregnant woman, the pressure comes not only from the heavy body, but also from the eyes, words, and especially the suspicion of the husband.

Maria smiled more, but I knew that the wound in her heart needed time to heal. I promised her, and myself:

I would never let blind imagination destroy the happiness of the family again.